PERSISTENT rain throughout the afternoon led to testing conditions and plenty of non-finishers, with the opening four-year-old mares’ maiden going the way of Flat recruit Tosca Time (6/1 - 5/1).

There was a dramatic conclusion to this eight-runner affair, with the front-running Sea Nora crashing out at the second last when clear.

Tosca Time, who raced in second throughout, was chipping away at the deficit and she duly picked up the pieces, powering clear to record a 20-length success under Shane O’Rourke in the colours of the Run For Fun Partnership.

Previously trained in the UK by Sylvester Kirk and now in the care of Darragh Berry, the Time Test-bay was unplaced in three starts as a juvenile.

“She was bought out of Tattersalls last year by Jerry Horan and we bought her from Jerry. I think he paid 2,500 guineas for her,” Berry revealed.

“She has been working well and the ground doesn’t seem to matter to her.

“Shane said he would have caught the leader as she hadn’t even come off the bridle. She is just freakish how good she is.

“She has done her job and we were expecting it today. She will head for the sales now.”

Blagthebookies (7/4 – 5/2) is also sales bound after his battling success under Jamie Scallan in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Always towards the head of affairs, the Walk In The Park bay had a good tussle with Livin On Luco in the straight and just a neck separated them at the line.

Trained by Sean Doyle and owned by his brother Gearoid, the €47,000 Goffs Land Rover Sale purchase is out of three-time track winner Who Let De Dogsout.

“He was coming with a big run the last day in Tinahely when one fell in front of him and he lost all chance,” the winning handler remarked.

“He is coming on every day. He will be a lovely horse for next season and has been just a bit green for a few runs.”

Idylle Sauvage (2/1 – 3/1) and Troy Walsh claimed the 11-runner five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden, a race which had just three finishers.

Trained by Aidan Fitzgerald, the Coastal Path chestnut, who races in the colours of the Cobajay Syndicate, was second at Castlelands a fortnight ago and went a place better here, leading after three out before going on to post a comfortable 10-length success.

“She is a lovely mare. We bought her from Harley Dunne for the lads in the yard to ride, so I’m delighted that she is after winning now,” Fitzgerald stated.

“I’m just a bit disappointed for Anna [Johnston]. She got a fall during the week schooling and couldn’t ride her today. She was Anna’s ride and she was second on her the last day.”

Metalor completes a double for Swan

HARRY Swan is fast making a name for himself and the talented young rider recorded the first double of his career, with Minella Blueway (3/1 – 4/1) providing him with his initial success in the five-year-old and upwards adjacent maiden.

Owned and trained by John Nallen, the son of Champs Elysees is out of a half-sister to Treacle and Green Belt Flyer, who won 14 races between them.

Given a patient ride, he got to the front after the second last and soon asserted, going on to record a taking six-length success.

James ‘Corky’ Carroll, representing Nallen, said in the aftermath: “He likes soft ground, he jumps and gallops and is a good honest horse.

“We had to take our time with him, he was a big weak horse when we got him. He is after coming into his own and when this race came up, we said we’d take our chance. He will go to the sales now.”

Swan doubled his tally aboard fellow newcomer Metalor (2/1 – 3/1) in the concluding six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden.

An imposing son of Kingston Hill, the Liam Cusack-trained grey was engaged in a tussle with Councillor K on the approach to the last, before that one edged left and unshipped his rider.

This left the John Murray-owned victor in a clear lead and he came home 15 lengths to the good.

“He is a grand big horse, but we just had to wait with him and let him fill his frame a bit,” Cusack explained.

“Harry gave him a lovely ride and he handled the conditions which were tough today. I think he might be a handicap chaser down the road, but I might go for a winners’ of one with him next.

“He had been working nicely and I was hopeful. He is still a big baby and will learn from today.”

McCrory gets first winner aboard Russian Diamond

RONAN McCrory followed in the footsteps of Rachael Blackmore, as he partnered his first winner aboard Russian Diamond (5/2 – 7/2) for John ‘Shark’ Hanlon in the open.

In the early days of her now illustrious career, Blackmore claimed this very contest in 2015 when partnering Luska Lad to victory for Hanlon.

McCrory, who is 21 and from Banbridge, Co Down, gave the three-time track winner a polished ride, coming through to lead from three out, going on to prevail by five-lengths.

“Michael Mee owned him and he gave him to us for the young lads in the yard to ride,” Hanlon said of the winner, who is owned by his partner Rachel O’Neill.

“Ronan is with me a year and I told him that I’d give him a few chances.

“He is after riding a winner now so it’s great.”

The successful rider added: “Hopefully I can continue to ride winners and I might turn conditional after a while, but we’ll see how it goes.”

Horse to Follow

Sea Nora (D. Cody): The chestnut debutante blazed a trail from the start and was unfortunate to fall two out when still in a clear lead. It was great to see her quickly rise to her feet and she should have little difficulty in opening her account soon.